Lever guide for flush tanks



Feb. 28, 1950 s. GERTZ LEVER GUIDE FOR FLUSH TANKS Filed July 7, 1945 I INVENTOR MMQ ATTORNEY Patented Feb. 28,1950

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE v LEVER! GUIDE FOR FLUSH TANKS Samuel Gertz, Jamaica, N. Y.

' Application July 7, 1945, Serial No. 603,693

This invention relates to flush tanks Such as are used with water closets. With such tanks it is usual to provide a valve commanding a water outlet at the bottom of the tank and the valve is opened by a connection extending to a lever in the tank above the valve.- This invention relates more especially to the valve-operating mechanism.

It is an object of the invention to provide improved guide means for the valve-operated lever of a flush tank. Whilethe invention is not limited to water closet flush tanks, it does relate to that type of tank in which aball, or valve of similar character, is moved down by gravity to close an opening in the bottomof the tank, and in which the valve is lifted by a connection'with a lever extending lengthwise in the tankabove the valve. v

Such levers in the priorart have been-guided in some constructions by their fulcrum bearings only, and in some other constructions by guides that were part of the lever-supporting structure that included the fulcrum, With these constructions, binding or sticking of the "valve or its operating-connection, with thevalve in open position, is often experienced after the apparatus has been in use for a considerable period, or after a worn valve has beenreplaced. The reason for the binding has not been apparent; The parts operate in water and therefore have no adequate lubrication. They wear and there is often some corrosive effect even thoughnonferrous metals are used. By smoothing oiT rough places and aligning parts, binding and sticking can be eliminated and the valve made to seat properly, but the correction proves to be" only temporary, and the fact that sticking and leaking of the valve is often intermittent makes diagnosis of the causes more difficult.

It is another object of this invention to provide valve operating means guided from the sides of the tank so that the lever which lifts the valve always moves up and down in the same relative location above the valve, and with this kind of guidance for the lever other causes of binding and sticking, such as roughening and corrosion of parts, and uneven wear of sliding members, do not, by themselves, cause sufficient friction to prevent the valve from closing properly.

In one embodiment of the invention guide means secured to the lever extend across the full width of a conventional tank so that any substantial lateral displacement of the lever is prevented by contact of the guide means-with the sides of the'tank. 'Another embodiment-of 3 Claims. (Cl. 4-67) the invention provides a special tank construction' with confronting side walls closely spaced at one end of the tank so as to provide, in effect,

a guiding groove in which the end of the valve operating lever moves.

Other objects. features and advantages of the invention will appear or be pointed out as the description proceeds.

In the drawings, forming a part hereof, in which like reference characters indicate corresponding parts in all the views,

Figure 1 is a top plan view of a flush tank with the cover removed to show the valve-operating mechanism within the tank.

Figure 2 is a front view of the tank shown in Figure 1, mostly broken away and in section, but with the cover in place.

Figure 3 is a sectional view taken on the line 33 of Figure 1 with the cover on the tank.

Figures 4 and 5 are fragmentary detail views showing two different modifications of the invention.

The drawing shows a flush tank ID with an opening in its bottom for the discharge of liquid from the tank. A pipe l2 extends through the opening in the bottom of the tank and is clamped in position by nuts I4 threaded on the end of the pipe l2. These nuts l4 clamp gaskets l6 against the inside and outside surfaces of the tank around the outside of the pipe 12 to prevent leakage from the tank.

A valve I 8, which has a hemispherical face that fits into the open end of the pipe l2, controls the discharge of liquid from the tank ID. A valve stem 20 is secured at its lower end to the valve l8 and has a hook at its upper end for engaging a link 2| that connects the valve stem 20 with an operating lever 22. The valve stem 20 passes through a fixed guide 23. Such guides are usually connected to an oerfiow pipe which extends up from the bottom of the tank and which connects with the outlet pipe I2. An illustration of such structure is not necessary for a full understanding of this invention.

The operating lever 22 is supported at one end on a stud 24 that serves as the fulcrum of the lever 22. This fulcrum is a part of a supporting structure connected to the upper front portion of the tank. The supporting structure includes a bushing 25 which extends through the front wall of the tank and is clamped in place by a clamping nut 21. The stud 24 extends through the bushing 26 and turns in this bushing as a bearing.

A handle 26 is rigidly connected to the forward amaeaa end of the stud 24 and the portion of the stud that extends through the end of the operating lever 22 is of square, or other noncircular cross section. The opening through the end of the operating lever 22 is of similar noncircular cross section so that when the handle 28 is moved to impart angular movement to the stud 24, the operating lever 22 will be moved through a similar angle.

Movement :of the handle 22 from the solid to the dotted line "positions shown in Figure 2 causes the operating lever 22 to be raised into the dotted line position shown; and this movement of the operating lever lifts the valve l8 and permits the liquid contents of the tank it to flow out through the pipe i2. When manual pressure on the .hazndle 28 is released, the weight of the valve .l 8 lever Y 22 and connected parts causes the valve 1'8 to return to closed position.

It is important to maintain the operating lever 22 incorrect relation to the valve lfliandrthe motion transmitting connections through which the operating lever 22 lifts the valve 1:8. Guiding of theaoperating lever 22 has been done in the tpr-ior art from the supporting structure .that includes the fulcrum at the end of the operatin leverremote from the valve.

Any reasonably close uidingoi the operating leyer=22 in the region of its fulcrum'requires bearing means with close tolerances because play is multiplied at the valve end of the .lever as a result of the length of .the lever. An support having :close tolerances :at the fulcrum end ;of :the I lever introduces the danger iof binding which will prevent the :lever122 from moving .freely. Guide means forthe valve-l8, whichare sufiicientlyclose to offset misalignment between :the valveanda-the plane'of movement of the pendrof the operating lever 22 :thatilifts-the valve, also introduce :danger of binding-so that the valve "48 does not drop back into ;c1osed position freely. When the valve 118 is guided by a bearin through which the valvezgstem 20 passes, the danger 10f binding is increased by the :fact that .the bearingJi-nthe guide 23 is :necessarilyfshort.

This invention guides the operating lever :22 by guide means located toward the valve .end of the lever. This'locates the guide means at the end where the guiding is required andFp'ermitsthe use of guide '.means in which iree'movement I can be obtained without having lateral clearances multiplied by the length of the voperating :lever. The guide 'means in ithe construction :shown in Figures lat-0 3rinclude-guide elementsB-i 'an'd:32 which extend through s'openings in the ope-rating lever 2:2, near "the walve 'end 110i ithis lever.

:Each of the .guide elements 231 and 32 has re threaded send with clamping nuts 34 screwed tightly against opposite sides :of rthe operating lever 22 for holding the guide seiementpin position. The guide element 3i extends from acne side'oi the operating lever 22 170 the confronting sid cof the-tank Hi; :anditheaguiding element 132 extends fromitheoperating lever '22 ito the inside face on the other sideio'f the tank. ilihesevguide elements 3!,132 z'haverrounde'd Or curved endsrso that they will slide freelyalong"thes'idesnf the tank even though :the sides are nut entirely "smooth.

"The l guide elements "3! :and :32 i are individually mg lever 22 so that there is no danger of the ends of the guide elements binding against the sides of the tank if the tank width is not entirely uniform.

Figure 4 is a top plan view and shows a modified construction in which a valve-operating lever 35 is provided with guide elements 38 and 39 that are made as an integral part of the operating lever 36; Such a construction is not adjustable. Small variations in tank widths can be compensated for by filing or grinding off thelends of ithe guide elements 38 and 39, and these ends are shaped to provide a rounded surface for sliding in the inside surfaces of the tank 10.

Figure .5 ,shows another modified form of the invention in which an operatin lever 42, corresponding to the lever 22 of Figures 1 to 3, is

made lon enough to extend into the space between guide ridges 44 which are formed on the inside :end face of a flush tank 45. Except for the guide ridges 44, the tank 45 is of similar construction to the flush etan-k 10 shown in the otherifigures.

.If the operating .lever :22 is loosely connected with the stud 24 .the lever has a transverse sag because of the fact that the lever is offset and its center of ggravityis at -.a substantial distance beyond the end of the bearing provided for the lever on the stud. Advantage can be taken of this transverse sa ing by providing a guide 32 or .39 on :theirontrside pf the operating lever only, with the guide pi such :length that it takes up at least 1:3, part -,of the transverse isag .on .the lever 22. With .such a construction .the ,sag of the operating lever provides a bias that ,makes the rearward guidesiunnecessary.

The preferred embodiment and some modifications of the invention have been illustrated and described, but other modifications can be made, .and some ;-features @of the inventioncan be used .without others without departing \from the invention asdefinedinthe claims.

.-1. vIn .a :flush tank having ,side walls and a bottom with a discharge opening in the bottom of lthentankwcommandedra valve that .is operatediby a lever extending lengthwise of the tank above the valve, ithe ecombination with said lever of 23.1111Q11l111 supporting-one end of the lever adjacent-amend of lthe-rta'nk, and guide means connected to the :lever -.near its end remote from the ;.fulcrum and extending transversely from both sides of the lever into close proximity :to opposite sides of the tank so that contact of said guide .means with -.the sides 1 of :the tank prevents any substantial transverse a displacement of thelever.

i2. :Inafiushatankirhaving'side walls and a bottom wall .with tan npening -.for-'the discharge of water from the :tank,:a valve element having -a spherical rsurfaoe that :fits .into the opening for closing :said opening against discharge -.of water from the tank, :a support connected ito'ol'le side of the tank and having \a stud extending into the tank, 12a .lever supported :by -said stud and movable .01'1 athe zstudias Ea ii'ulcrum, said {lever extending ;.leng.thwis,e ,in the tank and across the topqotthe-vaive, a-connectionirom the lever'to the valve, for xraising the valve away from opening in'stheibottomnof the tank-la manually operatededevice in'ltharegion of the fulcrum-for mov ing theileverlto open the .valve, a guide havin a -.thr-eaded end :that extends ithrough the lever near -the.end. of the clever remote ,from the fulcrum,i, nuts.-onithe threads of 213118 guide -.on opp site sides of :the lever for obtaining adjustment cent to inside surfaces of the tank that are on opposite sides of the guide structure and that prevent transverse movement of the lever toward either side during the movement of the lever 5 about its fulcrum.

SAMUEL GERTZ.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the lengthwise of the tank above the valve, a link 10 file of t patent:

extending from the valve up to the lever for lifting the valve to empty the tank, a lever-supporting element attached to the tank near one end of the lever and includin a fulcrum for the lever, guide structure rigidly connected with the lever and located at a region remote from the leversupporting element and the fulcrum, said guide structure having surfaces confronting and adja- UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 943,131 Zwermann Dec. 14, 1909 15 1,074,411 Crocker Sept. 30, 1913 1,075,681 Bamford Oct. 14, 1913 1,767,519 Duncan June 24, 1930 2,130,719 Heath Sept. 20, 1938 

